Reviews 1033 results

Dark Waters Movie Review

In this case, it’s the chemical company DuPont that poisoned its workers and a substantial portion of the population of a small town in West Virginia called Parkersburg during their manufacture of a product called Teflon. Through a long and protracted court battle and subsequent medical investigation, they were proven to be guilty of the willful disregard of public safety and untimely had to pay out a huge settlement.   //   Mark Ruffalo plays the lawyer Rob Bilott, a ...

Downhill Movie Review

During the holiday, Pete Staunton (Ferrell) when faced with a potentially dangerous situation, acts in a cowardly fashion. His motives or the cause of this digression is never fully explained, either through backstory or in the ongoing storyline. A previous family tragedy is mentioned but never fully explained. The gap this causes is quite noticeable.   //   Even though Ferrell plays someone who seems emotionally damaged, his wooden and reserved delivery gives very few ...

Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears Movie Review

This time the adventure is set in the Middle East and involves Bedouin tribes and ancient curses. It also visits the English aristocrats while they drink champagne and nibble on cucumber sandwiches. There are murders and prison escapes and Miss Fisher does her best to stay one step ahead of the action.   //   It must be said that those expecting an expanded palate with the move to the big screen will be disappointed. The film plays out like a TV movie of the week and has ...

The Invisible Man Movie Review

He very effectively uses modern sound design (and cinema surround sound) to provide audio clues that suggest an evil presence instead of relying on visual cues that would dissipate the dread by visibly identifying the intruder. It’s an approach the pays dividends throughout the film by asking more attentiveness from the audience.   //   Casting Elisabeth Moss as the female lead was also a good choice as she is unafraid to appear haggard and less than glamorous. Her ...

In My Blood It Runs Movie Review

He is wise beyond his years but is caught between two worlds. Inside his Aboriginal roots run deep and he reacts poorly to being directed into a western education. This forced narrative is brought to its full and insidious light with a scene where he is taught about Captain Cook claiming all of Australia for the British.   //   Mixing news footage of the protests around the country to secure indigenous rights and the human right violations perpetrated on juveniles while ...

Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Review

For parents, it’s a profanity free romp with a very clear representation of good and a very comic book view of evil. The big baddie, Dr. Ivo Robotnik is played by Jim Carrey with a performance as manic and over the top as his glory days of The Mask and Ace Ventura. His handlebar moustache alone is worthy of recognition.   //   As an evil mastermind with an affinity for machines and a disdain for humans, Robotnik has a never ending supply of clever gadgets and imagina...

The Call Of The Wild Movie Review

The story involves a man running from his past, John Thornton (a craggy looking Harrison Ford) and a behemoth of a dog, Buck. Set in turn of the century Alaska and based on the Jack London novel of the same name, it takes full advantage of the vast landscapes and the frozen winter.   //   Buck appears to be made up entirely of zeros and ones and at first it feels a little odd but you soon become accustomed to his appearance and then enjoy the moments of his almost human ...

The Neighbourhood Theatre Review

Different avenues to the same hopeful destination. Those paths are lined with obstacles of omission and the hurdles of acceptance. Sometimes it’s just an uncaring aside that cuts the deepest. Embracing a world view outside the easily known is often a step too far. Rattle the cage of easy avoidance. Each remembrance carries the weight of deeply felt emotion, sometimes through appalling apathy, sometimes amid armed conflagration or even the deep desire for anonymity. After giving our ...

Teacher Movie Review and Blue-ray Giveaway

When two of his more reserved and hard working students, Daniela Lopez (Esme Perez) and Preston Walsh (Matthew Garry) become victims of bullying by the school’s resident rich jock hotshot, Tim Cooper (Curtis Edward Jackson), things reach a critical mass. After Preston is jumped, beaten and robbed by two thugs in black masks and Daniela attempts suicide, the detonator pin is pulled.   //   From this point forward, the film transitions from a study of high school ...

Fantasy Island Movie Review

Given the popularity and appealing quirkiness of Blumhouse films like Get Out, Happy Death Day and BlacKkKlansman, one would have the initial impression of a certain level of quality but a Wiki investigation of the company’s large and spotty output reveals just the opposite. Unfortunately they have done themselves no favours with their latest production.   //   The biggest flaw (and there are many) is a weak concept that they constantly dilute by changing the instig...